Happy birthday to The God Emcee, Rakim!
Today is the 45th birthday of William Michael Griffin Jr., better known by his stage name Rakim. Arguably one of the greatest emcees to ever rock the mic, his years with Eric B. gave us classic albums such as their critically acclaimed debut Paid in Full and the follow up Follow The Leader. It would be another five years before he released his solo debut, The 18th Letter, which featured production from the likes of Pete Rock and DJ Premier. His pioneering use of internal rhyming and free flowing delivery are seen as his defining rap traits. If you ever needed an example of this, go ahead and watch the videos below. Many happy returns, Mr Griffin!
Eric B. & Rakim - Juice (Know The Ledge)
Eric B. & Rakim - Paid In Full
Rakim - It's Been A Long Time [DJ Premier - Original Version]
![Rakim - It's Been A Long Time [DJ Premier - Original Version]](https://sampleface.co.uk/wp-content/plugins/wp-youtube-lyte/lyteCache.php?origThumbUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2F88BPk903jUQ%2F0.jpg)